The US and Russia will today discuss the ceasefire agreement between Washington and Kyiv which would see a 30-day halt in fighting in Ukraine, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said.
During positive talks in Saudi Arabia, officials from Washington and Kyiv yesterday agreed on proposals for the ceasefire alongside a restoration of US military aid and intelligence sharing to Ukraine.
Moscow will not comment on the proposals until it has spoken with the US, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. But Russian sources have told Reuters that Putin is unlikely to agree to a ceasefire in its current form - and that Moscow’s concerns must first be addressed.
Speaking to reporters in Ireland, Mr Rubio said Washington would contact Moscow “directly” about the agreement today.
“We're going to say that Ukraine is prepared to stop all battlefield activity, and begin the immediate process in negotiating our enduring end of the war,” he said.
Mr Rubio also said building “deterrence” against Russia was a crucial element of peace in Ukraine. “There's no way to have a enduring peace without the deterrence piece being a part of that,” he said.
It comes after UK sources said Britain was “intimately involved” in brokering the ceasefire agreement, which has signalled an improvement in the countries’ volatile relationship.
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Key Points
- Rubio: Deterrence against Russia is vital for peace
- US and Russia to discuss ceasefire proposal today, Rubio says
- Russia will not comment on ceasefire until it speaks to US, Kremlin says
- Putin unlikely to agree to US-Ukraine ceasefire deal, say Russian sources
- UK 'intimately involved' in Ukraine-US ceasefire agreement - report
- Ukraine confirms US intelligence sharing restored
Europe will have to rethink sanctions on Russia - Rubio
12:28
,
Alex Croft
European countries will have to rethink sanctions on Russia amid ceasefire efforts in Ukraine, US secretary of state Marco Rubio told reporters in Ireland.
Speaking during a fuel stop in Shannon Airport, he said: “I would imagine that in any negotiation, if we get there, hopefully with the Russians, that they will raise the European sanctions that have been imposed upon them.
“I think that the issue of European sanctions are going to be on the table, not to mention what happens with the frozen assets and the like,” he added.
“It's self evident that for there to be a peace in Ukraine at the end of that process, there's going to have to be some decision made by the Europeans about what they're going to do with these sanctions.”
Starmer: We must deal with Russian abductions of Ukrainians
12:10
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Millie Cooke, Political Correspondent
Russian abductions of Ukrainians must be dealt with, Sir Keir Starmer has said, as Ukraine and the US move towards agreeing a peace deal.
Addressing the prime minister at PMQs, Lib Dem MP Mike Martin noted Russia had abducted at least 19,000 Ukrainian children and taken them to Russia.
Mr Martin said: “I note the prime minister’s previous fulsome support for the ICC, and I also note his comments just last night about the support that the Ukraine would offer to the UK in achieving a just and lasting peace.
“Will the prime minister confirm to the House that British peacekeeping will only be deployed to Ukraine if the peacekeeping deal includes both the return of Ukraine’s children and Putin’s prosecution?”
Responding, Sir Keir said: “Firstly I thank him for raising this issue because it is an absolutely terrible case of abduction and kidnapping.
“And when we say a lasting or just peace in Ukraine it must of course involve dealing with this issue and we are as he would expect raising it continuously with our allies.”
Starmer: We must redouble effort towards peace
12:04
,
Millie Cooke, Political Correspondent
British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer is speaking now at prime minister’s questions.
He opened the session with a statement on proposals for a 30 day ceasefire in Ukraine, saying he “welcomes the progress in talks between Ukraine and the US”.
“We must now redouble our efforts to get a lasting secure peace”, he told the Commons.
He added: “On Saturday, I’ll convene international leaders to discuss how we can make further progress.”
We’ll bring you all the key lines relating to peace efforts in Ukraine.
Deterrence against Russia is vital for peace, says Rubio
11:52
,
Alex Croft
Deterrence against future Russian aggression is needed for long-term peace, US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said.
Asked on whether the US will commit to security guarantees, he said: “Ukraine wants their long term security, that they want to make sure that this doesn't happen.
“What is the point of spending all this time to get a ceasefire, and then a negotiated end of the war, only to see it spark up again in about six years, four years, three years.
“So I think the question really is more about a deterrence. Can Ukraine create a sufficient deterrent against future aggression, against future attack, against future invasion?
“Because every country in the world has a right to defend themselves, and no one can dispute that, so that will most certainly have to be part of the conversation.
“There's no way to have a enduring peace without the deterrence piece being a part of that.”
Ukraine wants its children back not just end to war, says Rubio
11:47
,
Alex Croft
Marco Rubio has said that negotiations towards peace are not “just about ending the war” for Ukraine.
“The Ukraine has been very clear that this isn't just about ending a war. They need to get their prisoners of war back. They need to get the children back,” he told reporters in Ireland.
'Neither side can achieve their maximalist goals' - Rubio
11:45
,
Alex Croft
US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said that neither side will achieve their “maximalist goals”.
“I think the first step in all this is the acceptance that there is no military solution to this conflict,” he said. “Neither side can militarily achieve their maximalist gains, their maximalist goals, neither side can achieve them through the military side.
“The only way this conflict can end is through negotiation.”
We will contact Russia today, Rubio says
11:43
,
Alex Croft
US secretary of state is speaking to reporters during a visit to Ireland.
“We’ll have contact with [the Russians] today”, he says. “As far as the Russian reaction to it that's really the question here.
“We're going to bring it to them directly. We're going to say that Ukraine is prepared to stop all battlefield activity, and begin the immediate process in negotiating our enduring end of the war,” he added.
He repeated his statement yesterday that the “ball is truly in their court”.
Ukraine’s attack on Moscow is ‘significant embarrassment’ for Putin, says UK MoD
11:29
,
Alex Croft
Ukraine’s huge drone strike on Russia overnight on Monday, in which Moscow and its surrounding regions were hit, is a “significant embarrassment” for Russian president Vladimir Putin, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.
Fires were reported in Moscow and the city’s four airports were all temporarily closed in the attack. Russia said that 337 drones had been launched by Ukraine, including 91 over the Moscow region.
The MoD said the attack proves the Russian leadership needs to protect infrastructure and strategic facilities in its own territory along with the protection of operations on the front line.
"Putin and the Russian senior leadership almost certainly consider Ukraine's ability to both target and cause disruption within Moscow to be a significant embarrassment,” it wrote in the update on X.
“It also undermines the Russian leadership's narrative of the conflict as a localised operation as opposed to a war.”
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 12 March 2025.
— Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) March 12, 2025
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/GqHiJICQz6 #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/DMv8Ti9Khh
Analysis | Ukraine’s acceptance of a 30-day ceasefire will be seized with glee by Vladimir Putin
11:14
,
Alex Croft
World affairs editor Sam Kiley reports from Ukraine:
Ukraine’s agreement to accept a 30 day ceasefire in its war with Russia, which will now be taken as an offer to the Kremlin, is likely to be seized with glee by Vladimir Putin.
It gives his troops a breather, undermines Ukraine’s morale, and can be used to drive a further wedge into relations between Kyiv and Washington.
The agreement has been forced on Ukraine by the US after the Trump administration cut military aid and intelligence sharing with its former allies in Kyiv.
The intelligence taps will be turned back on as part of the “deal” which also says the two countries will work towards a mineral exploitation agreement.
Russian forces seize two villages in eastern Donetsk region
11:05
,
Alex Croft
Russian forces have taken control of the villages of Dniproenerhiia and Novomarkove in eastern Ukraine, the defence ministry said according to state news agency RIA.
Russia’s troops continue to advance in Ukraine’s east, as it looks to seize as much land as possible before potential peace negotiations are pushed forward by the White House.
DeepState, an open-source intelligence map of the war in Ukraine, shows the villages as still under Ukrainian control - but the map has not yet been updated for Wednesday.
Four killed in Russian missile strike on Odesa port
10:49
,
Alex Croft
Four people have been killed in a Russian ballistic missile attack on the Black Sea port of Odesa, Ukrainian authorities have said.
The missile struck a bulk carrier which was loading wheat for Algeria, killing four Syrian nationals and injuring one other Syrian and a Ukrainian, deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba said on Telegram.
"Russia is attacking Ukraine’s infrastructure, including ports, which are involved in ensuring the world's food security," Mr Kuleba wrote.
He said another vessel was also damaged, without giving further details.
Ukraine is a major grain exporter and has managed to re-establish large-scale maritime exports during the war, despite Russian strikes on ports.
How Elon Musk weaponised X against Ukraine’s president Zelensky
10:41
,
Alex Croft
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Elon Musk was hailed as one of Kyiv’s staunchest allies. A Russian malware attack crippled satellite communications across Ukraine, and officials frantically pleaded with the SpaceX founder to help.
Three years later, Musk has warned that Ukraine’s “entire front line would collapse” without SpaceX’s satellite terminals, highlighting their critical role in the country’s defence against Russia. He has also used his platform X to repeatedly attack Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky, sharing false claims and calling for elections to replace him.
Jabed Ahmed and Alicja Hagopian report:
Russia retakes five villages in Kursk region, defence ministry says
10:26
,
Alex Croft
Russian forces retook five settlements held by Ukrainian troops in Russia's western Kursk region, the defence ministry said on Wednesday.
After Ukraine seized land in a lightning incursion last August, Russia has been reclaiming territory rapidly in a recent offensive.
Russia’s claims to have retaken five villages have not yet been independently verified.
One of the retaken villages, Kazach'ya Loknya, lies just north of Sudzha, which Russian forces have been storming since the weekend as they try to eject Ukrainians who have been clinging onto a slice of Kursk since last August.
Russia will not comment on ceasefire until it speaks to US, Kremlin says
10:08
,
Alex Croft
Russia will not comment on whether the US-Ukrainian proposals for a 30-day ceasefire are acceptable until it hears from Washington, the Kremlin has said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow expects to be briefed in the coming days by secretary of state Marco Rubio and White House national security adviser Mike Waltz on Tuesday's talks between Washington and Kyiv in Saudi Arabia.
A phone call between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump could be organised very quickly if needed, Peskov told reporters.
When asked to comment on the proposed truce, Peskov said: “You are getting a little ahead of yourself. Yesterday, when talking to the press, both Rubio and Waltz said that they would pass on detailed information to us through various channels about the essence of the conversation that took place in Jeddah.
“First, we must receive this information."
Contacts with the US are planned in the coming days, "during which we expect to receive complete information”, he added.
It comes after Russian sources told Reuters that Putin is unlikely to agree to the deal in its current form.
Report: Number 10 fixer helped broker Ukraine ceasefire talks
09:52
,
Alex Croft
Sir Keir Starmer’s national security adviser Jonathan Powell helped to broker the 30-day ceasefire proposal accepted by Volodymyr Zelensky, as Britain attempts to act as a bridge between the US and Ukraine.
The No 10 fixer travelled to Kyiv over the weekend to meet with Mr Zelensky and help draft the proposal, which included a temporary pause in fighting before confidence building measures such as a prisoner-of-war exchange.
It comes amid a concerted European effort, led by Sir Keir, over the last week to restore good working relations between the US and Ukraine.
Putin unlikely to agree to US-Ukraine ceasefire deal, say Russian sources
09:33
,
Alex Croft
Moscow is unlikely to agree to the US-Ukraine agreement for a 30-day ceasefire as Russia’s concerns must first be addressed, Russian sources have said.
Russia would need to hash out the terms of the ceasefire and obtain some form of guarantees, a senior source told Reuters.
"It is difficult for Putin to agree to this in its current form," the source said. "Putin has a strong position because Russia is advancing."
Without guarantees alongside a ceasefire Russia’s position could swiftly become weaker, the source said.
Another source said the proposal appeared to be a trap from Moscow’s perspective - because Putin would find it hard to halt the war without concrete guarantees or pledges.
A third source said the US had simply agreed to resume military aid and intelligence sharing, and decorated that move with a ceasefire proposal.
Putin has repeatedly ruled out a short-term ceasefire, calling instead for a long-term peace with security guarantees for Russia.
Watch: Trump discusses next steps for Putin after Ukraine accept 30 day ceasefire
09:12
,
Noopur Jambhekar
US arms supplies have resumed, says Polish foreign minister
09:00
,
Alex Croft
Supplies of arms from the US to Ukraine have resumed and Starlink satellite internet services are working, Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters alongside Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in Warsaw, he said he Poland was satisfied with new proposals on Ukraine.
UK 'intimately involved' in Ukraine-US ceasefire agreement - report
08:36
,
Alex Croft
The UK was “intimately involved” in pushing through the ceasefire agreement between Kyiv and Washington, government sources have said.
Jonathan Powell, the prime minister’s National Security Advisor, worked with US counterpart Mike Waltz and German and French officials to develop a plan for a ceasefire and the following steps, the sources told the BBC.
Mr Powell met Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv to help draft a written proposal to bring to talks between Ukrainian and US officials in Saudi Arabia this week.
The measures included a temporary pause in fighting, prisoner-of-war exchanges and the return of Ukrainian children taken by Russia. It was agreed by Ukrainians and Americans and led to positive talks between the countries yesterday.
30-day ceasefire is an 'important step', says Scholz
08:12
,
Alex Croft
Washington’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine is an “important and correct step”, Germany’s outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday.
"The idea of a 30-day ceasefire is an important and correct step towards a just peace for Ukraine. We stand with Ukraine and the United States and welcome the proposals from Jeddah. Now it is up to Putin," Mr Scholz wrote on X.
In pictures: Russian aerial attack hits Zelensky's hometown, killing one
08:00
,
Tom Watling
Mapped: Russia's invasion of Ukraine
07:43
,
Tom Watling
How did Ukraine manage to break through Moscow’s defences?
07:35
,
Arpan Rai
Ukraine’s massive and widespread drone attacks against Russia on the eve of talks between the US and Ukraine employed exactly the same tactics as Moscow has used to terrorise its neighbour for three years: the swarm.
If the Kremlin’s figures are to be believed – they usually are not, but in this case they might be accurate – Ukraine flew 337 aircraft into Russian airspace.
The drones used are made in Ukraine, employ the latest technology, and were sent in such numbers that Russian air defences were unable to cope.
Woman killed in Russian missile attack on Zelensky's home town
07:27
,
Arpan Rai
A Russian missile attack on Kryvyi Rih killed a 47-year-old woman and caused a fire at an infrastructure facility, Dnirpopetrovsk's regional governor Serhiy Lysak said this morning.
The attack also injured at least two other people, local official Oleksandr Vilkul said in a statement.
Kryvyi Rih, located about 70km (43 miles) northwest of the frontline, is the home town of Volodymyr Zelensky and had a pre-war population of more than 600,000.
Trump hopes for a call with Putin this week
07:00
,
Arpan Rai
Donald Trump has said he hoped for a swift ceasefire and thought he would talk to the Russian president Vladimir Putin this week.
"I hope it'll be over the next few days," he told reporters at a White House event to promote his close adviser Elon Musk's Tesla car company.
Mr Trump also said he would invite Volodymyr Zelensky to return to the White House now that progress has been made in the Saudi Arabia talks.
On being asked whether Mr Zelensky would be invited back to the White House, the US president said: “Sure, absolutely."
Putin's spy chief holds phone call with CIA director
06:52
,
Arpan Rai
Russia's foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin held a phone call with CIA director John Ratcliffe yesterday, the Interfax news agency reported this morning.
They discussed issues of cooperation between their respective intelligence agencies and crisis management, according to Russian media reports.
US resumes intelligence sharing and military assistance for Kyiv
06:41
,
Arpan Rai
The US has agreed to resume military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after talks where Kyiv said it would accept a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in its conflict with Russia, the countries said in a joint statement.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the US would now take the offer to Russia, and the ball is in Moscow's court.
"Our hope is that the Russians will answer 'yes' as quickly as possible, so we can get to the second phase of this, which is real negotiations," Mr Rubio told reporters after more than eight hours of talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Mr Rubio said Washington wanted a full agreement with both Russia and Ukraine "as soon as possible."
"Every day that goes by, this war continues, people die, people are bombed, people are hurt on both sides of this conflict," he said.
Russia indirectly rejects Trump's ceasefire attempt, says 'watch Moscow'
06:40
,
Arpan Rai
Top Russian officials have rejected the ceasefire agreement brokered by the Trump administration with Ukraine in Saudi Arabia.
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that Moscow would make its own decisions about the conflict in Ukraine after Kyiv said it was ready to support Washington's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, TASS reported.
"The shaping of the position of the Russian Federation does not take place abroad due to some agreements or efforts of some parties. The formation of the position of the Russian Federation takes place inside the Russian Federation," she said.
Analysis: Ukraine’s acceptance of a 30-day ceasefire will be seized with glee by Vladimir Putin
06:14
,
Arpan Rai
Ukraine’s agreement to accept a 30 day ceasefire in its war with Russia, which will now be taken as an offer to the Kremlin, is likely to be seized with glee by Vladimir Putin.
It gives his troops a breather, undermines Ukraine’s morale, and can be used to drive a further wedge into relations between Kyiv and Washington.
The agreement has been forced on Ukraine by the US after the Trump administration cut military aid and intelligence sharing with its former allies in Kyiv.
Photos: Daily life in Ukraine's Donetsk near war frontline
06:03
,
Arpan Rai
Russian nationalists reject idea of signing ceasefire brokered by Trump
05:47
Ultranationalist voices in Russian, including a Russian State Duma deputy, have largely rejected the temporary ceasefire proposal brokered by the Trump administration with Ukraine.
Russian state Duma deputy lieutenant general Viktor Sobolev called the ceasefire proposal “unacceptable” and said that Russia should not agree to it as it would allow Ukraine to rearm and regroup.
“Russian milbloggers, including Kremlin-coopted milbloggers, rejected the ceasefire proposal because the United States and Ukraine will allegedly 'abandon' 'peace at the first opportunity' and the war in Ukraine is existential for Russia,” according to the Institute for the Study of War.
It added: “One milblogger claimed that accepting the ceasefire would be 'pure betrayal and sabotage,' and another milblogger questioned the purpose of accepting this ceasefire proposal without achieving Russia's war aims.”
Russia says it downs 21 Ukrainian drones overnight
05:11
Russian air defence units intercepted and destroyed 21 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Russian defence ministry said this morning.
Of these, 12 of the drones were downed over the Bryansk region that borders Ukraine, the ministry said on Telegram, while the rest were destroyed over the Kursk and Kaluga regions, as well as over the Crimean Peninsula and the Black Sea.
Ukraine confirms US intelligence sharing restored
05:01
,
Arpan Rai
The US fully restored intelligence sharing with Ukraine following talks in Saudi Arabia, a Ukrainian senior governmental official told Reuters yesterday.
Separately, a presidential official said that military assistance had also been resumed.
Earlier this month, Volodymyr Zelensky and top US officials – Donald Trump and JD Vance – got into a verbal spat at the Oval Office.
Following that encounter, the United States cut off intelligence sharing and weapons shipments to Ukraine, underlining Mr Trump's willingness to pressure a US ally as he pivots to a more conciliatory approach to Moscow.
JD Vance’s cousin is fighting for Ukraine – this is what he thinks of Trump, Putin and the VP
04:43
,
Arpan Rai
In the mafia-like world of the White House where loyalty tests are routine and macho threats the norm, JD Vance might have hoped for omertà from his actual family. Instead, both the vice president and the president himself find themselves described by one of JD’s close relatives as “useful idiots” serving Vladimir Putin.
But this is not just a family member who backs the Democrats. This is his first cousin who has spent much of the last two years fighting, and killing, Russians in Ukraine for what he thought were the ideals America stands for.
In an interview with The Independent, he accuses Vance and Trump of going after Zelensky in the ongoing precarious peace talks because they realise they can’t bully Putin.
How will Moscow respond to ceasefire calls from Kyiv and Washington?
03:37
,
Arpan Rai
Russian president Vladimir Putin has said he is open to discussing a peace deal, but he and his diplomats have repeatedly stated they are against a ceasefire and would seek a deal that safeguards Russia's "long-term security."
Yesterday, in a landmark agreement on the war, Kyiv said it would accept a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in its conflict with Russia, issuing a joint statement.
Mr Putin has ruled out giving up any of the territory his forces have seized so far and said Ukraine must withdraw fully from four Ukrainian regions claimed and partly controlled by Russia.
Yesterday, Russia's foreign ministry said only that it did not rule out contacts with US representatives.
The US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the plan would be delivered to the Russians through multiple channels.
Now, Donald Trump's national security adviser, Mike Waltz, was due to meet his Russian counterpart in the coming days and Mr Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff plans to visit Moscow this week to meet Mr Putin.
Russian lawmaker says any Ukraine deal will be on Moscow's terms, not Washington's
03:10
,
Arpan Rai
A Russian lawmaker has demanded that any ceasefire proposal or deal will be on Moscow’s terms and not Washington’s after the US said the ball is now in Russia’s court.
"Russia is advancing (in Ukraine), and therefore it will be different with Russia," said Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the international affairs committee of the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia's parliament, in a post on Telegram.
"Any agreements – with all the understanding of the need for compromise – on our terms, not on American. And this is not boasting, but understanding that real agreements are still being written there, at the front. Which they should understand in Washington, too."
Ukrainian foreign minister informs European partners about 'milestone' talks with US
02:56
,
Arpan Rai
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said he has informed a number of European counterparts about the "milestone" talks with the US where Kyiv said it was ready to support Washington's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire.
Mr Sybiha, who took part in the Jeddah talks, said that afterwards he talked to several European foreign ministers, including British foreign secretary David Lammy and European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, "about the outcomes of the milestone meeting."
Mr Sybiha said that the Ukrainian team told the US officials that European partners must participate in any peace negotiations.
"We adhere to the position: no decisions on the long-term security of Europe without Europe," he said in a social media post.
After more than eight hours of meetings between Ukrainian and US officials in Saudi Arabia yesterday, the US agreed to resume military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
'Ukraine shares Trump's vision for peace' - US national security adviser